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  • All over bar the shouting.
    7 down. A very subdued SA reply.
    A good weekend so far.
    Last edited by bolo121; 22 Feb 15,, 11:32.
    For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

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    • Originally posted by cataphract View Post
      It was twice as loud at Adelaide :)
      Scratch that, forgot that the Mumbai Cricket Ground has a capacity crowd of 86,000. :O

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      • Fascinating form lines emerging. SA had an average game against Zimbabwe & are being wrecked by India. Pakistan look ordinary. England look worse. Australia look good, but that is partly based on pre-WC form. India look like they have their heads in the right space at last. New Zealand look red hot. Sri Lanka look flat.

        While the games may not be super exciting, the results are interesting.
        Last edited by Bigfella; 22 Feb 15,, 11:50.
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        Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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        • Looked like SA were trying to convert every singles into doubles...

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          • Lolmax!! That same Pakistani man wears SA jersey this time in hope of bursting the crackers, disappointed again!! (Rakh isse!)

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            • Can Pakistan defeat South africa?

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              • Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                I put Dawan's performance down to home ground advantage.

                It is certainly gettable for SA, but not easily. If you guys bowl well you will win.

                For Indians watching at home, despite being a 25 minute walk from the MCG I can hear the crowd at times today. Its like an AFL Grand Final. :)

                When the MCG was a sea of blue


                Shikhar Dhawan charges out to Imran Tahir and drives wide of long-off. MCG roars. Dale Steyn tears to his right, bends to try and pick it up one-handed, but fails to. Dhawan and Virat Kohli seize the chance to take a second run. MCG roars louder.

                A few overs later, Dhawan pushes Steyn to the off side for a single. The tension builds as David Miller hunts the ball down, but his throw misses. MCG roars. The batsmen pinch another run off another overthrow. MCG roars louder.

                An incensed Steyn steams in and bowls the next ball short. Dhawan whips it fine for four. MCG roars. The giant screen shows a close-up of Steyn's face as he swears away in frustration. MCG roars louder.

                Four tiers of stands at the largest cricket ground in the world. Encircling the players, with barely an opening in between. You crane your neck upwards to look at the top row of the highest stand, which appears to touch the hanging, heavy cloud. You look down to the first row right at the edge of the outfield. Indian flags waving all around in frenzied uniformity. There is the odd South African one, but it seems as much at home as the South African team does in the face of such an overpowering, partisan crowd on what was supposed to be neutral territory. No wonder Alan Donald called this a home game for India.

                This is Eden Gardens and another half of an Eden Gardens on top of it. This is Wankhede Stadium with another Wankhede Stadium on top of it. But this not Kolkata or Mumbai. This is Melbourne.

                And there are Indians everywhere at the MCG. Indian citizens. Persons of Indian Origin. Staying across the breadth of the world. Hailing from different parts of a vast country. There was even an India flag with 'Bhuj' and 'Kutch' written on either side of the Ashok Chakra in the middle, showing clearly which part of which state in the country the fans came from. Speaking multiple tongues. Telugu in the row in front. Marathi in this one. Punjabi in the one behind. Hindi to the left. English with an Australian accent to the right.

                Meanwhile, Dhawan wants to turn Steyn to leg. The ball balloons to short third man instead. All of them stop the small talk and stand up to scream for the single India take.

                Kohli pulls a half-tracker from Imran Tahir straight to midwicket. MCG is stunned, then falls silent, before people start standing up again. Some to applaud Kohli for what seemed set to be many more than 46. Some run right to the edge of the boundary barriers to welcome Ajinkya Rahane. Somebody calls for people to sit down in the front rows because he cannot see what is happening. Nobody listens. This is their day out at the cricket at the MCG. Indian style.

                Dhawan is on 99. People have been aware of the approaching landmark for a long time now. The noise is deafening with only a single needed. Dhawan plays three successive dots. The build-up to each ball is so intense you can feel it rush into your skin. He finally punches a boundary to get the hundred and the explosion of sound scorches right through you.

                It is one of the days when being a billion-plus helps. You can fill out almost any ground anywhere in the world where your team is playing. Even the massive MCG is simmering with that expectant murmur so typical of Indian grounds throughout, waiting for anything in favour of India. Anything to erupt. It is taken for granted that there will be lots of Indian fans creating an atmosphere at an India limited-overs match, even outside the country. But the fact that it happens, again and again, is wonderful and should be celebrated, not least for the energy it provides and the spectacle it creates.

                How must it have felt to be a South African fan in those towering columns of blue? How much pressure must that impassioned mass have put on the South African players? AB de Villiers felt all the support was definitely a boost for India but that his team tried not to let it affect them. But it is a rare day when South Africa fumble so much on the field, and allow so many singles and twos.

                What did it mean to MS Dhoni and his men? Dhoni started by saying he was glad he had been asked about the crowd. "The attendance was 86 or 87 thousand (86,876). Let us give the benefit of doubt - 20,000 to the South African fans," Dhoni said. "To get over 50,000 people in Australia… the atmosphere that gets created. It starts from the warm-ups and after the national anthem, it just multiplies.

                "The kind of support we are talking about… even when we are playing in India, some of the stadiums do not have that kind of capacity. Even when they are full, they are close to 40,000. Today we are seeing in Australia more than 50 to 60,000 people supporting us. Definitely we need to give a lot of credit to them. It is really heartening to see people coming from all over."

                Just imagine the atmosphere if they make the World Cup final here on March 29, someone said after India had won. Just imagine.

                When the MCG was a sea of blue | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo
                Now that must be a spectacle to see. Home ground advantage indeed.
                Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
                -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

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                • Originally posted by Tronic View Post
                  Now that must be a spectacle to see. Home ground advantage indeed.
                  I believe he lives in Melbourne with his wife, who runs businesses here.
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                  Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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                  • Some interesting results over the last few days. Ireland squeaked home when the UAE seemed to have their measure. This means Ireland's quest for a Quarter Final spot remains alive with Pakistan the main competition. Ireland still have to play SA, India, Zimbabwe & Pakistan. If they beat Zimbabwe they will have 6 points. Pakistan still have to play Zimbabwe, UAE, SA & Ireland. They can also get 6 points there, assuming no upsets. Right now Pakistan have a diabolical run rate & Ireland are just above even. Will make for a fascinating final match.

                    The other great result was Afghanistan beating Scotland. At 7 for 97 chasing about 201 Afghanistan looked done, but one of their guys got 96 & got them close enough that the final pair snuck over the line. The story of the rise of Cricket in Afghanistan is a good news story in every respect. A first World Cup win simply adds to that story. It is probably the only win they will get in what is a tough pool, but it is a tournament highlight.

                    Sri Lanka crushed Bangladesh tonight. Friday is Windies v SA & Saturday is Aus v NZ in NZ. Two big games.
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                    Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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                    • De Villiers scores 162 off 66 balls against the Windies - who in turn may not make that many runs in total. Jason Holder conceded 95 runs from his last 5 overs - 64 off his last 2. OUCH!

                      This group is fascinating. India & SA are guaranteed to progress, but the last 2 spots might go to teams that only have 3 wins. With today's result the Windies take a hit to their run rate & come back to the pack.

                      Edit: Windies all out for 151. Now 4th in their group behind Ireland, who have played 2 less games.
                      Last edited by Bigfella; 27 Feb 15,, 11:23.
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                      Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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                      • BF,

                        We too have a tough Saturday ahead with UAE and that guy wearing the UAE T-Shirt eagerly waiting to burst his firecrackers.
                        sigpicAnd on the sixth day, God created the Field Artillery...

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                        • Rooting for NZ tonight but I'm afraid Aus will be too strong for them.

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                          • You are more confident that I am. We haven't played for 2 weeks & we are hitting the form team of the tournament on home soil. If they get a big score & then bowl well we could be in strife. Similarly, we will need to score big if we bat first, as Eden Park is a disgraceful excuse for a cricket ground & has some 55m boundaries (10m short of ICC standards - makes you wonder how it is allowed).
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                            Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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                            • Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                              You are more confident that I am. We haven't played for 2 weeks & we are hitting the form team of the tournament on home soil. If they get a big score & then bowl well we could be in strife. Similarly, we will need to score big if we bat first, as Eden Park is a disgraceful excuse for a cricket ground & has some 55m boundaries (10m short of ICC standards - makes you wonder how it is allowed).
                              The straight boundaries are short and the square ones long. Certainly not a common set-up. While top-edges might fly for sixes, miscued slogs would still be catchable.

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                              • Holy Crap!!
                                First England and now NZ are doing it to Australia.
                                104/7 now.

                                NZ definitely the favourites for this Cup.

                                Edit: 109/9 now. The Aussies will have to take back all the england jokes now.
                                Last edited by bolo121; 28 Feb 15,, 03:47.
                                For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

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